For those restaurants working on reopening for patio or outdoor service this week. Here is a link to the Chester application document, along with a list of required tasks and guidance to be completed. This is a simple process to ensure that you are in compliance with the state requirements. Here is a link to the document, which will be on Chester's website tomorrow and available through the zoning office and Selectman's office as well.




Be well,

Lauren

 
The veterans of Chester are invited to a short Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 25 at 10:00am at the War Memorial. Face masks and social distancing will be required. Directly after the ceremony a veteran's vehicle parade will be led off by the Chester Fire Department and State Trooper through the streets of Chester ending back at the Parish Center parking lot. The parade schedule is attached. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions, please contact Jane Deuse Cable at 860.204.9473.







Connecticut insurance commissioner reminds that all insureds are eligible for no-cost COVID-19 testing and treatment

Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Andrew N. Mais is reminding all insureds in the state that all out-of-pocket costs for testing and treatment of COVID-19 have been removed.
“Our insurance industry here in Connecticut has answered the call and responded to help protect those most affected by our current crisis,” Commissioner Mais said. “Thanks to recent changes in federal law, employer-based plan sponsors are required to follow suit and remove all cost sharing for testing and treatment for their workers and their families.”
Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford also praised the state’s insurance carriers and noted that public health coverage is also available to Connecticut residents who qualify.
“In the regular Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, together known as HUSKY Health in Connecticut, we are fully covering COVID-19 testing and treatment without any cost-sharing,” Commissioner Gifford said. “In addition, HUSKY Health is now covering COVID-19 testing for uninsured Connecticut residents who are US citizens or have a qualifying immigration status, regardless of income; and covering COVID-19 testing for residents without a qualifying immigration status if they meet HUSKY income requirements and have COVID-19 symptoms.”




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Governor Lamont today announced that the State of Connecticut has released an online guide to help small businesses comply with COVID-19 safety guidance and manage the broader reopening process. The Small Business Reopening Resource Guide can be accessed by visiting the state’s coronavirus website at  ct.gov/coronavirus  and clicking the “Business” section, or accessed directly by  clicking here .

It includes valuable information in the following areas:
  • Financial Needs: The guide provides a comprehensive list of financing resources and advisory partners at both the state and federal levels to help small business secure the financial support they need to manage reopening challenges.

  • Employee Training & Support: Employers need to provide a safe operating environment for employees and customers. The guide helps companies identify general and industry-specific training, and helps answer questions like who should be trained and what kind of training they need.

  • Physical Layout: Mandatory social distancing may mean that businesses need to alter their facilities or how they conduct business to maintain safety for employees and customers. The guide offers suggestions to help small business maintain their operations while applying new standards for health and safety.

  • Geographic List of Suppliers: Businesses will need protective equipment and other new supplies. The guide includes a list of suppliers of masks, face shields, gloves, as well as cleaning supplies and other needed resources.

The guide will continue to be updates as new information develops. A Spanish-language version is in development and will soon be available.
THERMOMETERS AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Governor Ned Lamont announced that the State of Connecticut will be distributing 50,000 infrared thermometers it has secured for small businesses, nonprofits, and places of worship to support safe reopening activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Small businesses, nonprofits, and places of worship that would like to request equipment from the state’s supply of infrared thermometers should fill out a form online to indicate their request. The state has partnered with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and its affiliate CONNSTEP to distribute the thermometers. They will be delivered to the municipalities in which the organizations are located, and then the municipalities will contact the recipient entities to inform them of a time and location they can pick up their requested equipment.
 
Entities that would like to request a thermometer can fill out the forms located at  ct.gov/coronavirus  in the “Access to Personal Protective Equipment” section, or through the links provided below:
 
•           Small businesses: Any small business in the state that has between 2 and 100 employees are eligible to receive one thermometer per physical address. Eligible businesses seeking to request thermometers should click here.
•          Nonprofits: Nonprofits located within Connecticut are eligible to receive one thermometer per physical address. To request thermometers for nonprofits, click here. Social services and direct care nonprofits may request a thermometer through the process outlined in this memo.
•          Places of worship: Places of worship are eligible to receive one thermometer per physical address. To request thermometers for places of worship, click here.
 
This distribution will continue while supplies last






Free Masks for Small Businesses with Fewer Than 50 Employees - ORDER NOW - DELIVERY ON MONDAYS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

The state is distributing free face coverings to essential small businesses with fewer than 50 employees through a partnership with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and CONNSTEP. Eligible essential small businesses can request up to two free face coverings per employee by filling out a form available at  ctcovidresponse.org .


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The state has created a new Business Reopening and Recovery Center website. This website is intended to be a one-stop resource for any business owner preparing to reopen as we go through the re-opening phases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The website includes

- self-certification option for businesses to say they are following strict safety guidelines to keep employees and customers safe
-information on which businesses will be eligible to reopen as soon as May 20
- business resources for owners including current restrictions, - business assistance and relief rules
- licensing and permitting guidance
-employee support

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COVID-19 Clinic - For Small Businesses


The purpose of the clinic is to help Connecticut’s entrepreneurs and small businesses that have suffered adversely from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing free, limited-scope legal guidance during 45-minute telephone or video calls with a volunteer attorney. The COVID-19 Small Business Virtual Legal Clinic (the COVID-19 Clinic) is expected to run from May 2020 through August 2020.

About
The COVID-19 Clinic is an opportunity for Connecticut-based entrepreneurs and small business with twenty five (25) or fewer employees to ask questions relating to COVID-19 assistance available under federal or state programs as well as broader legal questions relating to challenges they face as a result of the COVID-19 situation.

Topics may include: loans and grants, contracts and force majeure clauses, employment law matters, and real estate and commercial leasing issues.

How to Register

Please fill out our small business registration form to request a 45-minute appointment. Once you submit your intake form, a COVID-19 Clinic team member will follow up by phone or e-mail within three business days to:
  • Request additional information, if necessary
  • Confirm eligibility and schedule a remote consultation date and time
  • Confirm logistics for the remote consultation'/;.


E-mail  smallbusinesscovid19virtualclinic@ctbar.org  with any questions.  



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